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FWC to consider amendment restricting capture of marine life
“Florida has long been a leader in marine conservation.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission leadership will meet Wednesday to consider a final proposed amendment to the Marine Special Activity License program, a waiver that allows contractors to bypass standard fishing regulations.
The proposed amendment follows public backlash after a contractor, Dynasty Marine Associates, was filmed capturing a manta ray that was later confined and exported to an aquarium in July 2025 for a SeaWorld in Abu Dhabi, sparking the ire of the online community and wildlife advocates accross Florida.
FWC had initially intended to continue the Marine Special Activity License under a new limitation restricting marine capture to exhibition and educational purposes. While lawmakers acknowledged the proposal as a step in the right direction, they argued the program still falls short and urged FWC to postpone its vote.
Eighteen lawmakers, including St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross, signed a May 1 letter urging FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto to delay the vote and revise the rule to “fully prohibit the capture of manta rays and other federally threatened or endangered marine species from Florida waters for exhibition and education purposes.”
The lawmakers argued that continued capture of marine species such as manta rays would signal that FWC prioritizes entertainment interests over conservation.
“Florida has long been a leader in marine conservation. Allowing the continued capture of manta rays, animals that are both nationally and globally recognized as threatened, undermines that legacy,” the letter states.
“The public overwhelmingly supports stronger protections for these species, and many stakeholders, including scientists, conservation organizations and constituents across our state, have called for a complete prohibition of their capture for exhibition.”
FWC later postponed the amendment vote until May 13.
When asked what concessions would still be acceptable if a total prohibition is not possible, Cross told the Catalyst: “I’d like to discontinue the practice of sending any of Florida’s wildlife overseas for profit.”
Regarding the exhibition of captured marine life listed as endangered or protected within Florida or the United States, Cross said there would need to be “stronger justification” showing how exhibition advances conservation or restoration efforts in the wild.
